Delta Flight Museum facts for kids
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| Former name | Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum |
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| Established | 1995 |
| Location | 1060 Delta Boulevard, Atlanta, GA 30354-1989 |
| Type | Aviation museum |
The Delta Flight Museum is an exciting place in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It's an aviation and company museum located very close to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which is a major hub for Delta Air Lines. The museum is set up inside two old airplane hangars from the 1940s, right at Delta's main offices. In 2011, these hangars were even named a Historic Aerospace Site!
The museum's main goal is to help people from all over the world learn about the history of flying. It also celebrates the story of Delta Air Lines and its people, and looks at what the future of flight might be like. You can discover the history of over 40 airlines that are part of Delta's past. The museum is a non-profit group, which means it relies on helpful volunteers, company support, donations, and money from events and gift shop sales. New items are always being added to the museum's collections throughout the year. The museum first opened its doors to everyone in June 2014. Before that, you needed a Delta employee ID or a special pass to visit.
Contents
How the Museum Started
The idea for a museum about Delta Air Lines began in 1990. A group of retired Delta employees wanted to find one of Delta's first five Douglas DC-3 airplanes from the early 1940s. After a lot of searching, they found Delta Ship 41 in Puerto Rico. This was Delta's second DC-3 to carry passengers, and it was being used to carry cargo.
The group bought the plane and flew Ship 41 back home to Atlanta. This airplane restoration project, along with efforts to gather historical items from Delta's headquarters, led to the creation of a non-profit museum. It was first called the Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum, Inc.
Restoring Delta Ship 41
From 1995 to 1999, Ship 41 was carefully restored by current and retired Delta employees and volunteers. They made it look exactly like it did when it was first given to Delta on January 4, 1941. Delta Ship 41 is known as one of the most accurately restored passenger DC-3s in the world. In 2001, it was the first aircraft to receive an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Delta Ship 41 is the only passenger Douglas DC-3 that Delta still has from its early days. Delta Air Lines is the only major airline known to still own its first new passenger-carrying DC-3.
On May 23, 1995, the Delta Air Transport Heritage Museum officially became a non-profit organization. This meant it could operate as a charity under Georgia law.
Exploring Historic Hangar 1
Hangar 1 is all about the "Propeller Era" of flight. Inside, you'll find the Monroe Cafe, which is a full-size copy of Delta's old headquarters in Monroe, Louisiana. This building was Delta's main office from 1928 to 1941, before they moved to Atlanta. Hangar 1 also displays several restored aircraft from the museum's collection:
- Delta Ship 41: One of Delta's very first and most famous DC-3 airplanes.
- A 1931 Travel Air 6000: This plane represents the first aircraft Delta used to carry passengers.
- A replica of a Huff-Daland Duster biplane: This plane shows the first type of aircraft used by the company that came before Delta.
- A 1936 Stinson Reliant SE: This unique plane, nicknamed the "Gull Wing," was used to train pilots for Northeast Airlines in the early 1940s.
- Northwest Airlines Waco 125: This is the only aircraft of its kind left. It's a rare version of the Waco 10 biplane.
Exploring Historic Hangar 2
Hangar 2 is dedicated to the "Jet Era." Here, you can see Delta Ship 102 (N102DA), known as The Spirit of Delta. This was Delta's first Boeing 767-200, bought in 1982. Employees, retirees, and Delta's community partners all gave money to buy this plane. This effort, called Project 767, was started by three Delta flight attendants. They wanted to show how much employees appreciated Delta's strong leadership after airlines became less regulated.
The plane was repainted for Delta's 75th anniversary in 2004 and traveled around the country. It was Delta's main flagship plane until March 2006. The Spirit of Delta arrived at the museum on March 3, 2006, after a final tour across the United States. Other cool things in Hangar 2 include the front part of the first Lockheed L-1011 TriStar ever built. You can also see the cockpit of a Convair 880 and the tail section of a Douglas DC-9. There's even a Boeing 737 flight simulator that used to train Delta pilots, and now you can experience a one-hour flight in it!
Outdoor Aircraft Collection
The museum also has three other aircraft parked outside around the museum's parking lot. These include:
- A Boeing 757-200 (N608DA) painted in the 1980s Delta colors.
- A McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 (N675MC).
- The very first Boeing 747-400 ever made for passenger travel (N661US).
Delta Ship 6301 and the 747 Experience
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The most important plane in the outdoor collection is Delta Ship 6301 (N661US). This was the very first Boeing 747-400 ever built! Boeing first used it for flight testing. It was then delivered to Northwest Airlines on December 8, 1989.
When Northwest Airlines joined with Delta in 2009, N661US became Delta Ship 6301. It continued to fly passengers for Delta until it was retired on September 9, 2015. By then, it had flown more than 61 million miles!
In April after its retirement, this huge jet was moved across two streets from the airport tarmac to its permanent spot in the museum parking lot. Delta employees started a fundraising effort called "The Airloom Project." Their goal was to turn Ship 6301 and the area around it into an outdoor exhibit.
Just like with The Spirit of Delta, visitors can enter the 747-400 using stairs and an elevator. You can walk through the first-class cabin, then into the economy section. Part of the economy section has been turned into an exhibit space. You can even see the back wall of the plane. Visitors can also walk on a special walkway that goes over part of the wing, with railings for safety. Plus, the cargo area has been emptied, and the ceiling of the cabin has been removed. This lets visitors look down from the upper deck all the way through the lower deck and cargo hold. It's an amazing way to see how massive the inside of the aircraft is!
Museum Collections and What You Can See
The museum has many interesting collections and things to see:
- The Spirit of Delta: Delta's first Boeing 767-200. Employees, retirees, and friends bought this plane and gave it to Delta in 1982. The back part of the plane is now an exhibit space, but the cockpit, kitchen area, and first-class section are still just as they were.
- "Ship 41": The first Douglas DC-3 to carry Delta passengers. Volunteers and mechanics worked from 1993 to 1999 to restore it after it was found flying for Air Puerto Rico. In 2001, Ship 41 was the first aircraft to receive an award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
- A 1931 Travel Air: This plane represents Delta's first aircraft used for passengers.
- A 1936 Stinson Reliant SE: Nicknamed the "Gull Wing," this unique aircraft helped train pilots for Northeast Airlines in the early 1940s.
- Professional archives: These are organized collections of records and items related to Delta and its connected airlines.
- An aviation reference library: A place to find books and information about airplanes and flying.
- Temporary exhibits: The museum often has new and changing displays.
- A 1975 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 (N675MC): When this plane retired in 2013, it was the oldest aircraft still flying in Delta's fleet.
- A replica of the first Delta station in Monroe, Louisiana.
- The front part of the first Lockheed L-1011 TriStar ever built. Delta used to fly almost 60 of these planes.
- Delta Ship 6301 (N661US): This plane retired on September 9, 2015. It was the very first Boeing 747-400 ever built and was also the prototype aircraft.
- A 1985 Boeing 757-200 (N608DA).
- A 1957 Douglas DC-7B (N4887C).
Images for kids
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Delta Flight Museum Logo
